Ep. 26: How I Built Two Creative Businesses That Generate $5 Million a Year

Summary

Art + Audience: Ep. 26 Summary – How I Built Two Creative Businesses That Generate $5 Million a Year

In Episode 26 of the Art + Audience podcast, host Stacie Bloomfield delves deep into her journey of building not one, but two thriving creative businesses that collectively generate an impressive $5 million annually. Through candid storytelling and actionable insights, Stacie reveals the strategies and systems that have fueled her success, offering invaluable lessons for artists and entrepreneurs alike.

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From Humble Beginnings to Multi-Million Dollar Enterprises

Stacie opens the episode by addressing a common question she receives: "How do you juggle two companies that bring in around $5 million a year, raise three kids, and still create collections of art and release new products?" [01:15]

She recounts her early days in 2009, transitioning from a coffee shop manager to an artist with a burgeoning side hustle. In 2011, working from her dining room table with minimal resources—"a battered sketchbook, a clunky desktop scanner, stacks of hand-sewn pillows and prints waiting to go live on Etsy"—Stacie laid the groundwork for what would become her flagship business, Gingerbread.

Fast forward to 2025, Stacie manages two companies with a dedicated team of ten talented individuals each. Her headquarters, a cozy studio in Springdale, Arkansas, symbolizes both growth and continuity, as they continue to personally pack every order, maintaining a hands-on approach despite the expansion.

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Introducing the Star Productivity Method

At the heart of Stacie’s success lies her proprietary system: the Star Productivity Method, which she elaborates on as a rhythm she swears by. This method is structured around the Star Cycle, the cornerstone of her upcoming book, The Artist's Side Hustle, set to release on November 18th.

Stacie explains, "I follow a system, a rhythm I've used for years. It's called the Star Cycle and it's the foundation of my upcoming book." [02:30] She emphasizes that this framework was developed during times when she had as little as five focused hours a week to dedicate to her business, yet it remains effective even as her responsibilities have expanded.

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Themed Work Weeks for Enhanced Focus

Recognizing the chaos that can ensue from juggling multiple roles—"product design, coaching, content creation, and administration"—Stacie restructured her work week with themed days to restore flow and productivity. She details her structured approach:

• Monday & Tuesday – Education CEO Mode: Focused on courses, memberships, and mastermind support.
• Wednesday & Thursday – Art and Product Director: Dedicated to developing Gingerbread collections, fabric lines, and wholesale launches.
• Friday – Stacy Day: Reserved for personal development, content creation, and weekly reviews.

"Just one week in, I felt more energized and focused than I had in months," Stacie shares [04:45], highlighting the immediate positive impact of this restructuring.

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Deep Dive into the Star Cycle

The Star Cycle comprises four critical phases: Strategize, Think, Adapt, Reach.

1. Strategize (S): Involves mapping out plans, studying trends, and setting goals. For instance, during a team summit, Stacie and her team identify the need for a new free mini-course and outline a launch plan [05:30].

2. Think (T): Focuses on creative processes such as writing, designing, and drafting ideas. An example includes building an ideal customer avatar generator using ChatGPT [06:00].

3. Adapt (A): Centers on refining and polishing projects. This phase might involve beta testing a tool, refining its user interface, or trimming unnecessary elements [06:45].

4. Reach (R): Entails launching products, sharing with audiences, and gathering feedback. Stacie illustrates this by recording a loom video, inviting feedback, and completing a mini-course within a tight timeline [07:15].

Stacie applies this cycle meticulously each week, ensuring that each phase transitions smoothly into the next, maintaining momentum and continuous improvement.

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Why the Star Method Works

Stacie attributes the effectiveness of the Star Method to several key factors:

• Built-in Breaks: Prevents burnout by ensuring regular downtime.
• Adaptable Scope: Suitable for both side hustlers and full-time CEOs, the method scales with the size of the business.
• Momentum Loop: Each phase feeds into the next, creating a continuous cycle of growth and refinement.
• Mental Clarity: Themed days reduce decision fatigue and minimize the chaos of task switching.

"Momentum loop every reach out fuels your next strategize," Stacie notes, emphasizing the cyclical nature of sustained productivity [07:50].

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Getting Started with the Star Challenge

Encouraging listeners to implement the Star Cycle, Stacie proposes the Star Challenge:

1. Pick One Project: Choose a project you're eager to finish.
2. Block Four Sessions: Allocate dedicated time for each phase of the Star Cycle.
3. Follow the Order: Adhere to the sequence without skipping ahead.
4. Emulate a Themed Week: Experience the structured flow and assess the outcomes.

She also offers a free printable worksheet to help map out the Star Cycle, available on her blog [08:10].

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Book Pre-Order and Exclusive Bonuses

Stacie concludes the episode by announcing the pre-order availability of her book, The Artist's Side Hustle. To celebrate, she offers a special bonus:

"Pre order two copies. Email your receipts to bonusgingerbread.com and I'll gift you something special," she declares [07:55]. The bonus includes free access to her course, Art that Works, which is designed to help artists self-criticize and elevate their artwork by mastering design principles that make art marketable.

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Final Thoughts

In this episode, Stacie Bloomfield not only shares her impressive journey of building multi-million dollar creative businesses but also provides a tangible framework that listeners can apply to their own artistic endeavors. The Star Productivity Method serves as a beacon for those seeking structure amidst creative chaos, embodying Stacie's mission to help artists create businesses they love.

For artists looking to transform their passion into profitable ventures, Episode 26 of Art + Audience offers both inspiration and practical tools to embark on that journey.

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Notable Quotes:

• "It's never too late to chase your creative dreams." — Stacie Bloomfield [01:15]
• "Just one week in, I felt more energized and focused than I had in months." — Stacie Bloomfield [04:45]
• "Momentum loop every reach out fuels your next strategize." — Stacie Bloomfield [07:50]

Transcript

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[Stacy Bloomfield]

T Mobile Phone A few months ago, my brain was ping ponging like crazy. Record a lesson, approve a fabric, strike off, hop on a call, tweak a sales email. The constant mental costume changes? Exhausting. Let's be real. Even a dream job can turn chaotic when you're bouncing between product design, coaching, content creation, and admin. Wouldn't it be nice if your art.

Business loved you back? Hi, I'm Stacy Bloomfield. After years of trial and error and late night doodling, I went from being a coffee shop manager to running a vibrant seven figure art business that I love. And now I'm on a mission to help more artists create an art business that they love too.

So I invite you to find a.

Cozy spot, pull out your favorite sketchbook, and listen in. It's never too late to chase your creative dreams.

Welcome to the Art plus Audience Podcast welcome back to another episode of the Art plus Audience Podcast. Today, I'm pulling back the curtain on how I run $2 million creative businesses using a rhythm I swear by called the Star Productivity Method. Okay, so the question I get every single week, Stacy how do you do it all? How do you juggle two companies that bring in around $5 million a year, raise three kids, and still create collections of art and release new products? Short Answer I had very humble beginnings in 2009, but today I have a team and have 16 years of growth under my belt. Long Answer I follow a system, a rhythm I've used for years. It's called the Star Cycle and it's the foundation of my upcoming book, the Artist's side Hustle, now available for pre order and releasing November 18th. You can buy it wherever books are sold. This book is for anyone trying to make meaningful progress with limited time. I actually created the Star Framework back when I only had five focused hours a week to build my business. These days I have two companies and work full time. But that same rhythm, it still drives everything I do. And today I'm giving you the first public peek at how it works. Let's rewind to 2011 side hustle Stacy It's 9pm in our 1960s ranch style house in Springdale, Arkansas. My three year old and newborn are finally asleep. The dining room table? That's my studio. A battered sketchbook, a clunky desktop scanner. Stacks of hand sewn pillows and prints waiting to go live on Etsy. No Netflix. Just Gilmore Girls DVDs on constant repeat. But those five laser focused hours a week, they planted the seeds for what would become Gingerbread. Now let's Fast forward to 2025 annual revenue $5 million team size 10 brilliant people in each of my businesses. My headquarters A cozy studio in Springdale, Arkansas, one street away from my old ranch style home. We still pack every order ourselves. My role I do the work only I can do or truly want to do now. I love what I do. I'm deeply grateful for the opportunities my team and our amazing customers and students. But let's be real. Even a dream job can turn chaotic when you're bouncing between product design, coaching, content creation, and administration. So why did I rewire my calendar? A few months ago, my brain was ping ponging like crazy. Record a lesson. Approve a fabric, strike off, Hop on a call, Tweak a sales email. The constant mental costume changes? Exhausting. So my team and I rebuilt my work week with themed days to bring back the flow. Here's what my themed work week looks Monday and Tuesday Education Wednesday and Thursday Art and Product Friday Stacy Whatever She Wants Day Just one week in, I felt more energized and focused than I had in months. Now meet the Star Cycle. This is the system that holds it all together. S Strategize, Map, study, dream, point the rocket. Focus on what matters most T Think and create, write, design, draw, record lessons, turn ideas into drafts A. Adapt, polish, preparation, refine, make it shine and work R Reach out, share, launch, learn, release it and gather feedback. Here's how I apply the Star Cycle each week. Monday through Tuesday, I'm in Education CEO mode. That's where I use the cycle for courses, memberships and mastermind support. Wednesday through Thursday, I'm art and product director. I use the cycle for gingerbread collections, fabric lines and wholesale launches. Friday it's Stacy Day. Sometimes I go to a coffee shop and do some reading or vision casting. Other days I'm filming content. I review what happened during the week and decide what to focus on for the following week. I recharge my batteries and maybe do a little thrift store treasure hunting. Want a peek inside this week's education sprint? Let's break it down phase by phase. S strategize three hour team summit mapped January through August 2026 launches identified the need for a new free mini course T Think and Create Built an ideal customer Avatar generator in ChatGPT outlined the mini course reviewed a mastermind member's launch plan a Adapt beta tested the generator refined the ui, trimmed the fluff sent it to the team for red pen magic R Reach Out Recorded a loom video invited feedback posted in group coaching to gather more insights the outcome tool Completed mini course outlined eight month calendar framed in just 48 hours and what happens on product and art days? S Strategize Logged every missing holiday design Gave design feedback T Think and create Spent eight glorious hours drawing critters and mittens this week T Continue finishing illustrations A Adapt review and prep files for print record product social posts R Reach Out Next Sprint a secret new project Tea Towels so why does the Star Method work so well? Built in breaks you can't polish a what you haven't created T adaptable scope Whether you're a side hustler or full time CEO, this works at every level. Momentum loop every reach out fuels your next strategize mental clarity theme days reduce decision fatigue and task switching Want to try your first star challenge? Here's what to do. Pick one project you're itching to finish. Then block four sessions on your calendar, one for each letter of the word star. Follow the order, no skipping ahead and try a week formatted like this and see where you end up. One last thing. If you love putting pen to paper, we've got a free printable worksheet to help you map your own star cycle. It's totally optional, but super helpful if you like structure and a place to track your creative Progress. Just visit stacybloomfield.com blog and you can download your free PDF. That way you can start planning your next big project. Star Style Pre Order Bonus I cannot believe it. My brand new book, the Artist's side Hustle is now available for pre order wherever books are sold. And to celebrate, I'm giving you a little gift when you support the launch of my book. Pre order two copies. Email your receipts to bonusingiber.com and I'll gift you something special. Free access to my course Art that Works, a program designed to help you self critique and elevate your artwork. Master the design principles that make art marketable. Create with your dream customer in mind. It's the foundational training every artist needs before licensing, launching products, or building a brand. Pre order your copies of the Artist's side Hustle now, then send your proof to bonus gingerbread.com you'll get full course access delivered straight to your inbox. Your side Hustle deserves smart, stunning art. And it all starts here.

Thanks so much for tuning in. Hey, could you do me a favor? Could you subscribe to this podcast and then share it with one of your best art friends? I'd really appreciate it. And then head on over to Instagram and follow me at the Leverage youe Art account and you can keep up with all of our future episodes. Thank you so much for your support. It means everything to have you here, listening and learning.

[Co-host]

Bye.

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